Sticking to our own
by Pafoof
Summary: Slytherins are very loyal to their House. But that's not always a bad thing. Written for Your Favorite Hogwarts House Boot Camp Challenge! Warning: This fic does contain some slash material just so everyone knows!
1. Stars

Regulus Black wasn't anyone special just yet, this was only forgivable because he was a fourth year. He hadn't found his niche yet in the world and he hadn't really excelled at one particular thing yet. But he would, all Blacks did. Sirius, his older brother, excelled at DADA topped only by his best friend James Potter. Bellatrix was the best out of all of them at the Dark Arts, Narcissa was excellent in art and could draw or paint anything beautifully. Andromeda had been very good at Ancient Runes. So judging by everyone else he was bound to be good at something, hopefully something worth boasting about. He had a hint that he could be good at Charms, but who boasted about Charms? He didn't particularly like Charms class but he did have a natural knack for it.

He did know someone who was special, someone he somewhat envied. Severus Snape was very special, all of older cousins said so. He could brew any sort of potion faster than anyone else. Professor Slughorn always yelled that he never followed the book and ignored him for the redhead mudblood but Lucius said he was good. Lucius always knew who was good and just what they were good at. Severus also was pretty amazing at Dark Arts, not as good as Bella but he gave her a run for her money which was definitely something.

Regulus slipped outside, knowing it was dangerously near curfew, and made a beeline for the lake. He would miss being outside over the summer. They just didn't get outside very often on holiday. Purebloods weren't very fond of the outdoors truth be told but Regulus found fresh air refreshing. He jumped on every rock he saw and ambled his way around the murky waters of the Black Lake and grinning at the bright reflection of the moon. Regulus sometimes felt as if there was so much more, more than the life he had to accept. Sirius, he sometimes thought, had discovered the more that was out there and he insisted he was happy...but Sirius was so far from the rest of them. He never got advice form Lucius or laughed at Bella's twisted sense of humor. He just wasn't part of them anymore.

He froze in his tracks and his thoughts as he saw a figure sitting on the last rock the furthest from the castle. The lanky hair indicated it was Severus, prefect Severus, prefect Severus who could get him in very big trouble with not only Slughorn but also with Lucius. Slytherins always obeyed school rules unless it was furthering their society. Regulus was too scared to move, undecisive whether he should try to go back the way he came or dart off into the trees. He shifted his foot and was ready to go sprint off the rock and into the woods and prayed that Severus wouldn't catch who it was in the dark when he felt the horrifying feeling of utterly losing his balance. Regulus yelled as he fell into the cold waters of the lake. He came up sputtering and coughing to see Severus just smirking at him.

"You're dead lucky you fell in the shallow end little Black," Severus said without any indication of helping him out. Regulus huffed and pushed his sopping hair back.

"I'm not lucky because I fell in at all! It's bloody cold in here." Regulus waded over to edge and pondered how exactly to haul himself out. The shore was full or weeds and he was just destined to get muddy if he tried to use the ground. Severus chuckled a little and levitated him out of the water where the once pleasant gentle wind made him shiver and goosebumps to rise up on his arms.

"What possessed you to come out here anyway little Black?" Severus resumed his sitting on the largest rock around the lake. Regulus debated whether to scurry inside and change into dry clothes or to join Severus and wait to dry a little so that Filch wouldn't be on his tracks with the dripping water. He clambered up on the rock as well earning a glare from Severus as he nearly unseated the older Slytherin.

"I wanted some fresh air, we leave in the morning." Severus nodded as he stared into the lake, once again calm. Regulus shivered again as more wind came through. Severus huffed and started tugging at his robes.

"Get these off you bloody idiot, you're going to catch pneumonia this way." Regulus obligingly took off the soaking item but certainly wasn't much warmer.

"What has you out here so late Sev?" Regulus asked as he subconsciously scooted closer to the prefect for warmth.

"Just...thinking I guess." Severus tensed having Regulus that close but didn't move away. Regulus leaned back on Severus' shoulder and looked up into the stars.

"Are you okay? You don't normally come out here." Severus glanced over at him but then went back to staring at the water.

"Yeah...I'm alright. Just a lot has happened these last few days. O.W.L.'s are finally over and it's just weird to be entering into the last part of my Hogwarts career...without Lils." Regulus started and looked at him full on.

"Evans? Like your best friend Evans? What happened?" A lot of their house didn't really approve of Severus' association with Lily Evans but Regulus knew that Severus hardly had any friends and unlike his Slytherin friends Evans would stick up for him against Potter and his brother.

"We've picked sides and we ended up on opposite ends, not so much of a surprise really. I just...I dunno" Severus shrugged and went to looking down at the ground. Regulus felt awful that one of the stars of Slytherin had lost his best friend, even if she was a mudblood.

Regulus took his hand and squeezed.

"But you, we, picked the right side. The Dark Lord will make us shine brighter than anyone, like we were always meant to. It'll be okay Sev, even without her." Severus smiled a little and Regulus felt glad that at least he could get that much out of the stoic Slytherin. Maybe he could be special to Severus, the way Lily was, it'd be better than Charms anyway.


	2. Lost

Albus Severus used to be scared of the dark. James had once shoved him in a closet and put a chair under the handle so he couldn't get out. He only remembered curling up on the floor and sobbing until his dad had gotten home and found him. But he remembered being scared very clearly and how it was one of the worst feelings in the world. How his throat nearly closed over as panic rose in his chest but how at the same time, even though it felt as if his throat was closed over, he could still wail and scream. How you always think the worst outcomes when you're scared that seem ridiculous once the fear has passed.

He opened his eyes to see deep green surrounding him and found himself experiencing very similar symptoms.

He was in Slytherin, all alone. The rest of his cousins weer dispersed throughout the other three houses but Slytherin was the house not spoken of. The only house not represented in prefect celebrations or coming home parties. His dad had _said_ that him and mum would be supportive but now that is was happening would it still play out like that? And James had already glared at him and Lily was due to start soon and would she be ashamed her older brother was in with the snakes?

Albus heard his roommates come in and he tensed. He was not ready to talk to any of them, he had no idea what to say. Everyone knew Potters didn't belong in Slytherin. He really should get up and grab his bag and face his life as a Slytherin but if he stayed in here a bit longer he could pretend that none of this was happening and he still had yet to be sorted.

"Hey," a blonde head appeared between the gap in his bed curtains looking around. "Are you coming to class with us? Those prefects looked ready to murder anyone who made a mark against Slytherin and I think being late would qualify. Are you okay?" Albus was not okay, he felt like he was trapped in a closet again and he just wanted his dad but this boy was offering a way out and if he didn't get out now he probably wouldn't until Christmas and three months was a long time.

"Yeah I'm coming," Albus said softly and swallowing hard he climbed to his feet and slowly gathered his books.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy, want to be Potions partners? I think I'm going to be really terrible but I really need a partner and I don't want to be looking around in class and last night that prefect said we should stick together and I'll study really hard-"

"Yes, I'll be your partner. Don't worry, we'll make it. My parents hated Potions but we'll make it through." Albus suddenly realized that he may feel lost about being in this strange green house but everyone was lost about something so if he could be lost with someone it might not be so bad.


	3. Knight in Shining Armor

Draco shifted between his feet as he looked around the Great Hall for somewhere to sit. Although school wasn't in session and they were just rebuilding the school they still ate in the Great Hall with large tables. He didn't really know why he bothered to show up day after day but home was rather unbearable these days and working kept his mind off of all this, all of the court dates and the possibility of both his parents being shipped off to Azkaban. Harry had defended him so he was off the hook as far as prison went but he would almost rather be in prison than suffer the glares of everyone who had lost someone.

"You look lost." Draco drew in a quick breath and let it out slowly. It was Weasletter, Ginny, the woman who was remarkable to him and lots of others. They had kicked up a friendship two weeks ago and he couldn't get enough of her. Just to have her around was really enough.

"No, I just don't know...where...to...sit exactly." Ginny smiled and looked with him over the sea of people. She waved to Potter and Weasley.

"Well you can sit with us." Ginny shrugged and moved into the hall to sit with them and Draco felt a stab in his gut. He couldn't sit with them, sit with her. He was no competition for Potter. Harry Potter was a hero, a real knight in shining armor who loved Ginny Weasley and who was he to take that from her? Draco turned toward the open front doors and decided he could wait to eat until he got home in a few hours.


	4. Sunshine

Sunshine

Narcissa had never been more exhausted in her life than the first six months of Draco's life. She had never had to lose sleep over anything in her life. No one dared to wake her when she was sleeping except for her son, Draco had no such qualms about letting his mother know she was needed. She sat in the rocking chair in the nursery and rocked her whimpering son. She couldn't fathom why he never slept through the night being the pampered little boy he was. Draco could have everything he wanted, except for a father she supposed. Lucius loved their son, she would never say otherwise, but he loved him like they had been loved as children. With a cold and aloof love that was never expressed. Narcissa was familiar with the methods since she had grown up with them but seeing them used on her son was painful. Lucius insisted that she get a nanny for the night hours but Narcissa just couldn't, Draco wanted his mum and that is who he would get.

The funny part about her fierce protection and love of Draco was that she hadn't wanted him at first. Getting pregnant had lit a light for Narcissa, casting nasty shadows on her life. She was twenty years old married to a man she hardly knew and was now having a kid with him. They were going to raise a child for the next seventeen years together and she didn't love him, not even a little bit. Lucius was more like a father to her, he made sure she had what she wanted and needed but that was all. He was so professional all the time and had many of the same business contacts her father had had. They never laughed together or shared inside jokes. He took her to dinner but they didn't talk about much besides what was going on in the Pureblood circle. She remembered taking the pregnancy test and telling Lucius, it had been the first time that she thought Lucius cared for her.

_Narcissa was curled in the dry bathtub. She didn't know where else she could go. Lucius may have been at work but the house elves were very loyal to him and were sure to tell him his wife was upset. The sobs wracked her body as she stared over their gardens. She never had any qualms about her life until now. She wasn't ready to be a mother with a mon who would never be a true father. She didn't know Lucius. The thought broke her heart and made her cry harder. She begged herself to stop crying, telling herself it wasn't all that bad but it just wouldn't happen. She was tired of not being in love, tired of not knowing if her husband even liked her, let alone loved her. _

_The sound of a door closing made Narcissa shove a fist against her lips to try and muffle the sound. Who on earth was in here? The house elves had already cleaned this morning..._

"_Narcissa?" Lucius' shock was evident at finding her in such a state, with her hair down around her shoulders instead of in a bun and her face an utter mess with no make up on and splotchy from crying. Narcissa was cornered and just tried to bury her face in her knees. The action brought more tears as she though of how hard it would be to have this child, practically alone. How was this going to work?_

_When his wife wouldn't answer him Lucius grew worried and took off his cloak to hang up by the bathroom door and took a few steps closer. "Narcissa, are you alright? Did someone upset you?" The hesitancy in his voice caused Narcissa to sigh loudly ad climb out of the tub even while tears fell. She stood in a dressing gown in front of her husband and stared at him._

"_Can we just stop pretending for five minutes?" Narcissa's voice was tired and she just was sick of pretending to be the perfect wife. She was human and Lucius had to accept that. Lucius placed a hand on his hip._

"_What do you mean, stop pretending?"_

"_Pretending that we have a functional marriage. I'm so sick of walking on egg shells around you. We are going to be married for a long damn time and I'm not going to pretend to be perfect for that long." Narcissa waved her arms around and gestured to her self in utter disarray. "This is me, this is what you get. I can play pretend for whatever diplomat you want but not for you. I need to be myself sometimes too. Except I will never be able to be just me again because soon there is going to be another little Malfoy I need to think of." Narcissa bit her lip as she realized she had just blurted out her secret. She saw Lucius grow paler as he sat on the edge of the tub numbly._

"_L-little Malfoy? You're pregnant?" Narcissa sighed again and went over to the mirror to brush out her hair to distract herself._

"_Yeah, I am." Silence hung in the air thick and heavy as a shroud before Lucius broke it. _

"_Why were you crying?" He sounded less shocked but was studying her in the mirror. Narcissa stopped the rhythmic brushing and again turned to face him._

"_I'm not ready to have it. I feel so lost with you. I'm scared." Lucius frowned and Narcissa turned away to stop herself from crying again. She took a sharp breath in as she felt a hand gently turning her aound. She automatically met Lucius' eyes as he looked down at her. He had looked at her plenty of times before but there was care in his eyes. He studied her face before running a thumb over her cheek._

"_If I could choose anyone, absolutely anyone in the world, to have a baby with it'd be you Narcissa, without a doubt you." Lucius placed his lips upon hers but it felt different this time. There was feeling to it, there was passion. She could feel love through that kiss and it completely stole her breath away. He moved back while still cradling her body to him and she gasped for breath. She rested her cheek against his chest and she felt closer to him than ever._

"_Lucius," Narcissa felt the tears fall slowly for the last time, but they weren't altogether sad. "I-I love you." A tiny sob finished her confession as she clung to the front of his shirt. Lucius' large, warm hands caressed her back._

"_I love you too." Lucius' words were nearly not heard but they held such conviction she never doubted them for a momtne. She could do this, with her husband._

From the moment Luciius had found out that they were going to have a child he was different, at least when they were alone. There wasn't so much hiding and putting up fronts. They showed they loved each other behind closed doors and Narcissa didn't feel nearly so alone as Draco Malfoy was brought into the world.. She realized that maybe Lucius would never blatantly show his son he loved him but she would make sure he always knew.

"You are my sunshine," Narcissa sang softly as she rocked the nearly asleep child. "My only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear how much we love you, please don't take our sunshine away."

~fin~


End file.
